The Cleveland Orchestra Announces Concert Programs Celebrating The Holiday Season

The Cleveland Orchestra's annual Christmas Concerts are a local tradition, and Severance Hall is a dazzling wintertime destination for families and friends across Northeast Ohio. On Friday, December 13, this year's series of a dozen concerts conducted by Richard Kaufman begins amidst the holiday splendor of Severance Hall, featuring The Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, Cleveland Orchestra Children's Chorus, Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus Chamber Ensemble, Blossom Festival Chorus, and three guest choruses - Wooster Chorus from The College of Wooster, Cleveland State University Chorale, and Ursuline College Choir.

These festive concerts will feature a selection of holiday favorites, including O Come All Ye Faithful, Handel's Hallelujah Chorus, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and Silent Night. See the calendar listing below for full program details.

We are pleased to welcome CIBC as the new presenting sponsor for the Christmas Concert series. CIBC, a commercial and wealth bank in Cleveland for 12 years, recently committed to serve as presenting sponsor of the series through 2022.

This season, the Orchestra is also presenting the classic holiday film It's a Wonderful Life in concert on Thursday, December 12. Conducted by the Orchestra's assistant conductor, Vinay Parameswaran, the beloved film will be shown on the big screen while the orchestra performs the score live.

For the youngest members of your family, the PNC Music Explorers series includes two matinee performances by the Christmas Brass Quintet on Friday, December 13 and Saturday, December 14, featuring members of The Cleveland Orchestra - Lyle Steelman (trumpet), Michael Miller (trumpet), Hans Clebsch (horn) - and guest musicians - Whitney Clair (trombone) and Kenneth Heinlein (tuba). The quintet will entice young audience members (ages 3-6) to sing- and clap-along with a beloved selection of holiday tunes. Under 18s Free for these concerts with purchase of adult ticket.

Tickets are available online at www.clevelandorchestra.com or by calling the Cleveland Orchestra Ticket office at 216-231-1111 or 800-686-1141. Christmas concerts are expected to sell out, so purchasing tickets early is encouraged.

The Severance Hall Ticket Office is located on street level in the Smith Lobby. The entrance and 15-minute parking are along the west side of the building, on East Boulevard. Severance Hall Ticket Office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (closed Sundays and holidays except for those days with performances, when the Ticket Office opens three hours before each concert).

Concertgoers attending matinee performances of The Cleveland Orchestra's Christmas Concerts on December 14, 15, 21, and 22 can enjoy a special holiday lunch with Santa Claus at Severance Restaurant before the performance. For reservations, call Severance Restaurant at 216-231-7373.

Richard Kaufman has devoted much of his professional life to conducting and supervising music for film and television productions, as well as performing film and classical music in concert halls and recordings. The 2019-20 season marks his 14th season with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert series "CSO at the Movies" and his 29th and final season as principal pops conductor of Pacific Symphony. In May 2020, he will be named principal pops conductor laureate, and he holds the permanent title of pop conductor laureate with the Dallas Symphony.

Mr. Kaufman's 2019-20 season includes return engagements with the New York Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, and Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Recent highlights include debuts with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, and the Handel and Haydn Society. He has led The Cleveland Orchestra on a number of occasions over the past decade, including for last season's holiday concert series.

Mr. Kaufman received a 1993 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. In addition to his two recordings with the London Symphony Orchestra, he has recorded CDs with the Nuremberg Symphony, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and Brandenburg Philharmonic in Berlin.

As a violinist, Mr. Kaufman performed on numerous film and television scores, including Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Saturday Night Fever, and Animal House. He has recorded with artists such as John Denver, Burt Bacharach, Neil Sedaka, the Carpenters, and Ray Charles. For more information, please visit www.kaufmanconductor.com.